2014

2014 was the 2014th year of the Common Era and the 13th year of the 21st century. It marked many changes in the world such as Israel's next war with the Gaza Strip, the creation of the Islamic State in the Middle East, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine to support a civil war.

Events

 * In February 2014, the pro-Russia government of Ukraine under Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in the Ukrainian Revolution by Euromaidan activists against his corruption. Oleksandr Turchynov took over as the interim president and separated from Russia's sphere of influence. In response, Russia invaded and annexed the Crimea with few losses and without international action, and in the months that followed, they gave military assistance to a large-scale insurgency by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine's Donbass region.
 * In the summer of 2014, Syrian Army forces crushed the rebels in Homs and captured the city from them after three years. With aid from Iran and Hezbollah, the Syrian Arab Republic made a series of decisive victories over Free Syrian Army, Mujahideen Army, Islamic Front, Al-Nusra Front, and other Islamic and democratic rebels.
 * In June 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria took over most of northern Iraq with assistance from several Sunni militia forces and on 27 June they declared the Islamic State, a new caliphate with its capital at Ar-Raqqa, Syria. They played a huge role in both the Iraq Crisis and the Syrian Civil War.
 * From 8 July to 26 August, Israel savagely bombed Gaza Strip and sent in ground forces to attack Hamas forces in the city in response to Hamas' abduction and murder of Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, and Naftali Frenkel, three Israeli teenagers. Egypt eventually mediated a truce between both sides to stop the war, which cost 2,191 Palestinian (mainly civilian) and 72 Israeli lives.
 * In late 2014, a coalition was formed by the United States to intervene in Syria, starting on 23 September. Australia was first to join, then the United Kingdom, France, and the Arab League. The intervention forces bombed ISIS fuel plants in Syria and convoys in Iraq, although it failed to stop the Islamic State from conquering the Kurdish city of Kobane on the Turkish border.
 * Turkey resumed its conflict with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party on 14 October 2014 by bombing their positions in Kurdistan, after they resumed fighting Turkey due to their refusal to intervene in Syria unless the intervention forces also attacked government troops.

Wars

 * Arab-Israeli Conflict (1948-present)
 * Afghanistan War (2001-present)
 * Caucasus Insurgency (2004-present)
 * Iraq Crisis (2011-present)
 * Syrian Civil War (2011-present)
 * Operation Libya Dawn (2014-present)
 * Operation Protective Edge (2014)
 * Donbass War (2014-15)